Mothers come in many different forms, and this Sunday, Mother's Day, we celebrate them all. Everyone is a son or daughter. We thank God for mothers of the past, for mothers of today, for soon-to-be-mothers, for women who took children in through adoption or foster care, for women who have lost a child to death and must carry on, and for all women who have not had children of their own, but choose instead to mother everyone else. We thank you, God, for the women who have influenced our lives in so many ways. We pray that we will honor them in everything we do. Thank God for mothers!

At 8:45 (our Contemporary Worship Service) songs of worship include There is Joy in the Lord; Lord, Reign In Me; I Could Sing of Your Love Forever; Came to My Rescue; and Friend of God. Listen to Sunday's playlist on YouTube!

Something for all ages this Sunday, during the 10 o'clock education hour!

Here's what's happening for adults...

As Christians, we often describe ourselves as Easter people.

But what does that mean for us?

This Sunday, Adult Education will be a special morningand it will conclude our discussion of what it means to be Easter people.

We’ll read Luke 24, in which Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus. We will take time for a discussion of the significance of this passage, focusing on the sharing of a meal as the means through which Jesus is revealed. Then we will share a meal together—real, actual food!—as a sign and sending for us in our own faith journey.

Join us for challenging discussion and a time of loving and uplifting table fellowship.

Don't forget to pick them up this Saturday, May 13 from 10 am to noon. Your generosity will help our students get to Milton, Pennsylvania this summer. We hope that your new plants bring you lots of joy!

5k Walk, Run, Mosey for Habitat for Humanity

This Saturday is the day! Join the BUMC Team at Edgewater Park for a family friendly, pet-friendly, non-timed race at Edgewater Park. There's a 5k course for the ambitious (you know who you are) and a 1 mile fun course for the rest of us. There's a t-shirt decorating contest and there will be light refreshments. All with the goal of raising money to support affordable housing for Cleveland families. Want to join us? Sign up here!

Preschool Bible Story Hour: Monday, May 15 at 10 am

Preschoolers, come explore the amazing and awesome world you live in! You and your caregiver will enjoy hearing the story of creation and then take time to do fun hands on activities. If weather allows we will go outside. There is no better way to appreciate God’s beautiful earth then to be out in nature!

Help start their day right! Our United Methodist Women are extending their annual Undergarment Drive for Westside Community House. Girls age 10 to 18 are in need of foundation items (bras, underwear, socks.) You can help! Bring your donation to the coat room this week. Collection ends May 15! Contact Gretchen Mates 440-526-6481.

and Saturday mornings at 8:30 am. Meet at Station Road trailhead (Brecksville Train Station parking lot.) Look for more information in the May issue of The Good Word.

Upcoming Church Women United Events

Annual Spring Potluck Salad Luncheon, May 19. Come to St. Matthew's Episocal Church on Highland Drive to learn about the international movement to ordain women as priests in the Catholic tradition with speaker Mary Eileen Collingwood. RSVP by May 15th!

Spring Tour of Churches, June 12. 7:45 am pick up at the Islamic Center, W. 130th Street, Parma. Lunch at Hartville Kitchen. Tickets are $30 (does not include lunch.)

Respond to this e-mail or contact Nancy Knowlton at 440-838-4341 to RSVP to either event!

Change the World Day, Saturday, May 20

Looking for an opportunity to Change the World? Volunteer with our team at Nehemiah Mission on Saturday, May 20, Change the World Day. We will devote a day to cleaning up the “hidden” neighborhoods of Cleveland. The mission is working with city officials and community representatives to identify streets, neighborhoods, abandoned and occupied properties that are in need of landscaping, trash removal, graffiti removal, overgrowth trimming and general clean up. Your work earns tickets to a Cleveland Indians game! Sign up at this link, work for at least 4 hours, then record your time online and you will get two tickets to an Indians game! Learn more...

Calling All Graduates!

Are you graduating this year? We want to celebrate your accomplishment on Graduation Sunday, June 4.

We’ve reserved a block of seats for our church family at Canal Park as the Akron Rubber Ducks take on the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Game time is 7:05 pm and it is a fireworks night. Tickets are only $8! Sign up today in the Parlor, or simply respond to this e-mail to reserve yours!

Engage: Faith. Family. Friendship. Fun! June 3

In June, ENGAGE will focus on human dignity. We will come together to talk about our value as children of God and our responsibility to communicate that value to our brothers and sisters of every race, orientation, status or background. As part of our worship, we will pack human dignity (toiletry) kits for individuals affected by poverty or natural disaster. We will also design materials to accompany our summer Liberia team to Africa! Help us ENGAGE the community by inviting friends and family for fun activities, worship and a tasty, healthy meal on Saturday, June 3, at 4:00pm. RSVP on our Facebook Event page for updates!

Summer Worship Times Resume June 4!

As the weather warms, we look forward to the return of our summer worship schedule, which begins Sunday, June 4. Join us for worship on the lawn at 8:30 or worship in the sanctuary at 10 o'clock!

ReachOut Camp 2017, July 9-15. Are you a student interested in missions, growing community, and having fun on the shores of Lake Erie this summer? ReachOut is for you! No matter where you are in your faith journey, you are sure to encounter God’s love in a new way. Dana and Jamie are on staff and would love to bring some students along, contact Dana (youth@brecksvilleumc.com) to sign up today!

How many seniors were eligible for food assistance in Cuyahoga County in 2014? An astonishing 68,000. Volunteers are crucial to the work of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and we can help fill that need. Join our team of workers on Saturday, June 10. Click here for details about our work day here. To register, visit this link and use this case sensitive code: tVQaBe.

Recycle Paper. Fight Hunger! Do you know that it's estimated that most landfills are about 1/3 full of packaging materials which could have been recycled? Do you know that you can recycle anything paper in our green bins? Are you aware that our recycling earns money for our hunger ministry? It's all true! Bring it to the bins! They're emptied every Thursday.

Vacation Bible School, July 17 - 21. Soar with us at Hero Central Vacation Bible School! This superhero adventure includes music that makes you want to get up and dance, interactive Bible fun, super science, cool crafts, delicious snacks, great games and more. Together we will explore how we can 'power-up' and discover our strength in God!

Monday 07/17/2017 through Friday 07/21/2017, 9 am - 12 pm each day. For kids in Pre-school through Fifth Grade. Childcare available for little ones under 3 if you volunteer! Register here!

Our Welcoming Statement

Brecksville United Methodist Church is called to the ministry of reconciliation. We embrace diversity as a gift. We celebrate our human family’s diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, economic status, marital status, physical and mental ability, and education. We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministries of Brecksville United Methodist Church as we journey toward reconciliation through Christ.

Want some good news? In this new feature, we'll feature a few links to cheer you every week in The Sunday Blast. Have some good news to share? Send it to Melanie office@brecksvilleumc.com